Oven door hinge structure



Feb. 18, 1958 R. w. ATEN ETAL 2,823,663

OVEN DOOR HINGE STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RALPH w. ATEN ELDEN w. srLvEY BY hWILLIAM J. MILLER y@ U. y

Feb. 18, 1958 R. w. ATEN Erm.; 2,823,663

ovEN Doon HINGE STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 1s, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 2 Fis'. v5

FIG. 4

INVENTOR v RALPH W. ATEN ELDEN W. SILVEY BY WILLIAM J. MILL'ER United States Patent O Patentedk Feb. 18, 1958 par?.

OVEN DOOR HINGE STRUCTURE Ralph W. Aten, Swan Creek, and Elden W. Silvey and William J. Miller, Galesburg, lll., assignors to Admiral Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 16, 1954, Serial No. 449,932

11 Claims. (Cl. 126-194) This invention relates to doors and more particularly to oven door structures having improved' means associated therewith for maintaining the door in different positions and for counterbalancing the weight of the door so that it may be easily and gently moved to and maintained in any one of the desired positions.

In oven doors for ranges as now constructed, it is important to hold the door tightly closed during the baking operation, to maintain the door in a, slightly open po sition during broiling, and to prevent downward movement of the door beyond its horizontal open position. In accordance with the present invention, improved means are provided for maintaining the oven door in any one of its desired positions and for counterbalancing the weight of the door at all times so that it may be easily and gently moved between the different positions. The counterbalancing means, which constitutes an important phase of the present invention, consists of a pair of resilient means, such as springs, which are associated with the door and with each other in such a manner that during movement of the door the combined force exerted by the springs upon the door varies in such a manner that the springs couuterbalauce the weight of the door while it is being moved between its different positions. According to the invention, resiliently supported means are also provided to maintain the door in its partly open position which means also aids in maintaining the door in its fully closed position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an oven door structure in which improved means are provided to maintain the door in any one of its desired positions and for counterbalancing the weight of the door so that it may be easily and gently moved between its different positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide an oven door structure provided with counterbalancing means including a pair of springs, the strength of one being greater than the strength of the other and the combined force of the springs upon the door Varies with the movement of the door to counterbalance the weight of the door as it is moved between its dilerent positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an oven door structure including a pair of springs for counterbalancing the weight of the door when the door is inr various positions and during the movement of the door between such positions in which the force of one spring is greater than the force of the other spring and in which the ratio of the force of one spring relative to the force of the other spring varies when the door is in dierent positions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide resiliently supported means for maintaining the door in its partly open position which means also aids in maintaining the door in its fully closed position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the specication proceeds.

,'The invention will be better understood by reference..

to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is. a side elevational view of one of the side frames of the door of an oven, showing means for pivotally mounting the door in place and for counterbalancing the'weight of the door,parts of the door being broken away andA the door frame being shown in full lines in its closed position and in dot-tedv lines in its open position;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l taken on a plane passing through. the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 isv a cross sectional view taken on a plane passing through the line 3--3 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view of the structure shown in Fig. l with the oven. door in a partly openposition; and

Fig. ,5. is a rear elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

As illustrated in the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the front wall of a range, 2 the bottom wall thereof, and 3 the bottom wall of the oven arranged therein. As in, the usual range construction, the front wall of the range has an opening to provide access to the oven and a door for closing the opening, one side frame of which is designated by the numeral 5 and which is shown in full lines when the door is in its closed position and in dotted .lines when the door is in its open position.

In accordance with the present invention, improved means are providedtfor pivotally mounting the oven door 4 in place andv while such means may assume various forms, as illustrated, a pair of spaced brackets 6 are provided `as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 a portion of each of which is. arranged within and is secured to the front wall of the range. The brackets are preferably adjustably mounted on the front wall of the range in such a manner that the doorv will t tightly against the lining of the range when it is in its closed position. For this purpose, each bracket is provided with upper and lower flanges 7 and 8, each of which is provided with an elongated openingv 9 and 10, respectively. A tapping strip 11 is arranged inwardly of the flanges 7 and 8 which is provided with spaced threaded openings and an upper stud 12 having a threaded shank extends through an opening in the front wall of ranges and the opening 9 in flange 7 and is threaded in the upper opening of the tapping strip. In a like manner a lower stud 13 having a threaded shank extends through a second opening in the front wall of the range and the opening in ange S and is threaded in the lower opening in the tapping strip. Each of the brackets is provided with a horn-shaped neck 14, one end portion of which extends through aligned openings in the front wall of the range and the door which is pivotally mounted on a pin 15 extending between a bracket and one of the side frames of the door and through an opening in the end of the bracket.

According to the invention, means are provided for maintaining the door in a tightly closed position, in a partly open position, or in a horizontally open position, and for counterbalancing the weight of the door when it is in its various positions and during its movement betweenV such positions. For this purpose, connecting means connected to the door and projecting within the rangefand resilient means including a pair of springs are provided, the springs being secured to the range and to the connecting means. A single connecting means or a pair of connecting means may be provided. When one connecting means is utilized, it may be secured to either one 0f the side frames of the. door above the horn-shaped portion 14. of one of the brackets 6, and, when a pair connecting means are utilized, one` is secured to the side of one ofthe brackets 6 and the other is connected to the other side frame of the door above the horn-shaped v portion 14 of the other bracket. It will also be appreciated that two pairs of the connecting means may also be used in each side of the door.

In Fig. 1, a single connecting means is shown which consists of a plate 16 which is connected to one of the side frames of the door by suitable means, such as rivets 17, and is provided with an arm 18 which extends rearwardly and curves downwardly through aligned openings in the door and the front wall of the range when the door is in its closed position and which terminates in an extension 19. The extension 19 projects rearwardly from the arm 18 when the door is in its closed position and its free upper edge is provided with an abutment 19a.

In accordance with the present invention, one or two pairs of resilient means, such as springs, are provided for counter-balancing the weight of the door. When only a single connecting means is provided between the door and the springs, only one pair of springs is provided. If two connecting means are utilized, a pair of springs may be provided for each connecting means, or if desired, when two connecting means are utilized, one of the springs may be secured to one of the connecting means and the other spring may be secured to the other connecting means as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. l

As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the resilient means consists of a pair of springs 20 and 21, spring 20 being preferably stronger than spring 21 and means are provided for securing the springs to the extension 19 and to the lower portion of the range. tension 19 is provided with front and rear apertures 22 and 23, respectively, and secured to the bottom of the range in proximity to one side of the range are forward and rear plates 24 and 25, respectively, each of which is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures and one end of spring 20 terminates in 'a wire 26 which is secured to extension 19 at rear aperture 23 and the other end terminates in a wire 27 which is secured -to forward plate 24 at one of the apertures therein and in a like manner one end lof spring 21 terminates in a wire 28 which is secured to the extension 19 at the forward aperture 22 and its other end terminates in a wire 29 which is secured to rear plate at one of the apertures therein. It will of course be understood that if two connecting means and two pairs of springs are provided, the second pair of springs will be secured to the other connecting means and to a second pair of forward and rear plates 24 and 25 secured to the bottom of the range in proximity to the other side of the range in a similar manner. It will be noted that plates 24 and 25 are both arranged rearwardly of the extension 19 and that one end of the relatively strong spring 2t? is connected to the extension 19,of arm 1S at the aperture 23 which is spaced rearwardly of aperture 22 and its other end is connected to plate 24 which is spaced forwardly of plate 25 and consequently when the door is in its closed position, spring 20 will be much more effective than spring 21 in maintaining the door in a tightly closed position.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided for supporting the connec-ting means during the movement or" the door between its different positions which acts as a friction lock to hold the door closed or partially open. For this purpose, a leaf spring 30 having an upper roller 31 is provided which is secured to and is supported by the bracket 6 or if two connecting means are provided, two leaf springs are utilized, one of which is supported by one bracket and the other of which is supported by the other bracket as shown in Fig. 5.

The bracket 6 and leaf spring 30 are constructed in such a manner that the leaf spring may be quickly and easily:l

assembled on the bracket. For this purpose, bracket 6 is provided with a substantially at shoulder 32 adjacent the bottom of neck portion 14, a central projection 33 provided with an upwardly inclined hook portion 34, and

a lower offset portion forming a second shoulder 35. ln

For this purpose, ex-

termediate the shoulder 32 and the projection 33 it is cut away to leave a distinct gap between the two parts. The leaf spring 30 is provided with an elongated central opening 45 to receive the projection 33 and hook portion 34 of bracket 6 and an outwardly extending portion 36 which extends beneath shoulder 35 and is then bifurcated to provide arms 37 which extend on opposite sides of bracket 6. The upper portion of leaf spring 30 is bent outwardly and is provided with a clevis 38 which may be bolted or otherwise secured thereto and between the arms of which roller 31 is mounted by suitable means, such as a pin 39, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In assembling the leaf spring 30 in place, the projection 33 including the inwardly inclined hook portion 34 of bracket 6 is inserted through the central opening of the leaf spring and the leaf spring is then pushed down- Wardly to cause the upper edge of the central openingin the leaf spring to engage projection 33 on the bracket 6 at which time -the hook portion 34 of the bracket engages the inner side, and shoulder 32 of the bracket en gages the -outer side of the leaf spring. The lower outwardly extending portion of the leaf spring extends beneath the lower shoulder 35 of bracket 6 with the'bifurca-ted arms 37 arranged on opposite sides thereof. The cut-'a-way portion between the shoulder 32 and projection 33 permits the spring to bend freely.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, arm 18 is provided with a concave inner edge 40 which rides on the roller 31 and for maintaining the door in its partly open position and for aiding the springs in maintaining the door in its fully closed position when the door is moved to such positions, the inner edge 40 of arm 18 is provided with a projection 41 having inner and outer inclined sides, the outer side of which arranged adjacent a substantially angular-shaped portion 42 on arm 1S. The angularly-shaped portion 42 extends above the lower end of pla-te 16 and forms a recess between plate 16 and arm 18 to receive roller 31 when the door is in its closed position as shown in Fig. l and when the door is moved to its partly open position, leaf spring 30 yields sufciently to permit the projection 41 to ride over the roller 38 to a position in which the inner inclined side of the projection engages the roller 31 as shown in Fig. 4. Because leaf spring 30 is resilient, it will be apparent that the door may be easily moved between its closed and partly open positions. A

When the door 4 is in its closed position, the force of spring 21 for urging the door to its closed position is relatively weak because its force is directed toward a point considerably below the center of gravity of the door. At this time, however, the force of gravity upon the door tending to move it to open position is negligible so that the combined force of springs 20 and 21 and the force of the roller 31 on the outside of the projection 41 will hold the door in a tightly closed position.

When the door is moved to its partly open or broil position as shown in Fig. 4, however, the force of each spring is increased. The ratio of the force of spring 21' force of the springs is not sufficient to move the projectionv 41 over the roller 31 and the door will be maintained in its partly open position.

When the door is in its fully open posi-tion as shown` in dotted lines in Fig. l, springs 20 and 21 are expanded and` .the force of each spring in counterbalancing the weight of:

the door is increased. At this time, it will be noted that the forward aperture 22 in the extension 19 of arm 18v to which one end of spring 21 is connected is directly be low the aperture 23 to which one end of spring 20 is connected and while main spring 20 is stronger and has a greater inclination to a horizontal plane than auxiliary spring 21 and therefore exerts a greater force than spring 21 in counterbalancing the weight of the door, the force of auxiliary spring 21 at this time, however, will be considerable. lt will also be notedV that when the door is in its horizontal open position, the abutment or abutments 19a if two connecting means are provided, engage the front wall of the range above the opening through which the arm or arms 18 extend, thereby preventing the door from moving below its horizontal position.

From the foregoing explanation, it will be apparent that the use of a pair of springs is much more effective in counterbalancing the weight of the door when it is in its various positions and during its movement between such positions than a single spring. rThis is true because if only a single spring were utilized and it was strong enough to counterbalance the weight of the door when the door is in its horizontal open position, it would cause the door to slam when the door is moved to its fully closed position. By utilizing an auxiliary spring which aids in counterbalancing the weight of the door'when the door is in its horizontal open position and arranging this spring so that its force decreases rapidly as the door approaches its fully closed position, it is apparent that the door may be gently moved between its various positions and the combined force of the springs is not sufcient to cause the door to slam when the door is moved to its fully closed position. it will also be apparent that because roller 31 is mounted upon a resilient leaf spring, the door may be easily moved between its partly open or broil position and its fully closed position.

Means are also provided to enable the combined force of the springs or the ratio of the force of the main spring relative to the auxiliary spring to be varied. For this purpose, forward plate Zd to which wire 27 of spring 20 is secured and rearward plate 25 to which the wire 29 of spring 2l is secured are each provided with a plurality of spaced openings. The inclination of both springs or the inclination of either of the springs relative to a horizontal plane may therefore be varied. The elongated openings in brackets 6 also enable the brackets to be vertically adjusted so that the door will fit tightly against the front wall of the range when the door is in closed position and the oven is heated.

The disclosure shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings is similar to that shown in Figs. l to 3 with the exception that two connecting means are provided, one of which is secured to the frame 5 at one side of the door and the other of which is secured to the frame 5 at the other side of the door. While as previously stated two springs may be connected to each extension, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, one end of spring 29 is connected to extension 19 of one arm at the aperture 23 and its other end is connected to forward plate 24 arranged in proximity to one side of the range and one end of spring 21 is connected to extension 19 of the other arm at the aperture 22 and its opposite end is connected to rear plate 25 which in this modification is arranged in proximity to the other side of the range. By providing two connecting means and two springs for each extension or by arranging the springs so that the main spring is connected to one extension and the auxiliary spring is connected to the other extension, the force of the springs will be more evenly balanced in counteracting the weight of the door than when only one connecting means and one pair of springs are provided. For simple structures, however, one connecting means and one pair of springs are sufficient.

Having thus described the invention, it will be appreciated that certain departures may be made from the ernbodirnents shown without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In combination, a cooking range having an oven, a door pivotally mounted on said range at the front of said oven and movable between open and closed positions and means for counterbalancing the weight of said door when it is in its open position and during its movement between its open and closed positions, said counterbalancing means including connecting means secured to said door and extending inwardly and downwardly therefrom when the door is in closed position and terminating in extension means, forward and rear anchoring means secured to the bottom of said range, main resilient means connected to the forward anchoring means and to s aid extension means, and auxiliary resilient means having less force than the main resilient means, said auxiliary resilient means being connected to the rear anchoring means and to said extension means at al point thereon located forward of the connection of the main resilient means to said extension means when the door is closed.

2. The combination defined in claim l in which the connecting means consists of a pair of connectors, one of which is secured to said doorv adjacent one side and the other of'which is secured to the door adjacent the other side, and each of said connectors includes an arm which extends downwardly and rearwardly and terminates in a rearward extension when the door is in its closed position, and in which the forward anchoring means consists of a pair of plates, one of which is arranged in proximity to one side of the range and the other of which is arranged in proximity to the opposite side of the range, and the rear anchoring means consists of a pair of plates, one of which is arranged in proximity topsaid one side of the range and the other of which is arranged in proximity to the oppositeside of the range, and in which the resilient means consists of two pairs of springs, each pair of which includes a main spring and an auxiliary spring that has less force than the main spring, and in which one of said main springs is connected to one of said forward anchoring plates and to the rear portion of the extension on one of said arms and the other main spring is connected to the other forward anchoring plate and to the rear extension on the other arm, and in which one of said auxiliary springs is connected Vto one of the rear anchoring plates and to the forward portion of the extension on said one of said arms and the other auxiliary spring is connected to the other rear anchoring plate and to the forward portion of the extension on the other arm.

3. In combination, a cooking range having an oven, a door pivotally mounted on said range at the front of the oven and movable between open and closed positions, and means for counterbalancing the weight of said door when it is in its open position and during its movement between its open and closed positions, said counterbalancing means including a connector having one end secured to said door and an arm extending downwardly below the pivotal mounting for said door when the door is in its closed position and said arm being provided with an extension, spaced forward and rear anchoring means arranged at the lower portion of said range at positions rearwardly of said extension, a main spring having one end connected to the forward anchoring means and its other end connected to the rear portion of said extension, an auxiliary spring exerting less pull than said main spring and having one end connected to the rear anchoring means and its other end to the forward portion of said extension and throughout the movement of the door between its open and closed positions exerting its pull on the door at a greater angle from the vertical than the pull exerted by said main spring, said connector being movable with said door during its movement to open position to expand and increase the force of said springs, and the angular difference between the directionsl of the pulls exerted by the main and auxiliary springs becoming progressively greater as the door moves from its open position to its closed position whereby the ratio of the downward pull exerted on the door by the auxiliary spring with respect to the downward pull exerted on the door by the main spring delcreases as the door moves from its open position to its closed position.

j 4. The combination as dened in claim 3 in which the forward anchoring means consists of a plate secured to the lower portion of the range which has a plurality of spaced apertures therein and in which one end of the main spring terminates in a wire selectively connected to the forward plate at one of said apertures, and the rear anchoring means consists of a plate secured to the lower portion of the range having a plurality of spaced apertures therein and in which one end of the auxiliary spring terminates in a wire selectively connected to the rear plate at one of said apertures, whereby the combined force of said springs or the force of one of said springs relative to the other may be varied in counterbalancing the weight of said door.

j 5. In combination, a range having an oven, a door, means pivotally mounting said door on said range at the front of said oven including a pair of spaced brackets,

each of which has a portion connected to the front wall of said range, and means for counterbalancing the weight of said door when it is in its open position and during movement of the door between its open and closed position and for exerting a force upon said door to maintain it in a tightly closed position, said counterbalancing means including connecting means including an arm secured rigidly to said door to move integral therewith and which extends downwardly and inwardly when the door is in its closed position, anchoring means arranged at the lower portion of the range, and resilient means connected to said anchoring means and said arm, and said arm having a curved inner edge, the upper portion of which is provided with a projection having oppositely inclined front and back sides, and a leaf spring supported by one of said brackets having a roller at its upper end portion upon which the inner edge of said arm rides when the door is moved between its different positions, said leaf spring being yieldable to permit the projection on the curved edge of said arm to ride over said roller when the door is moved to its fully closed position to position the roller in engagement with the front side of said projection for maintaining the ydoor in its closed position, and said roller when the door is in a partly open position engaging the back side of said projection to maintain the door partly open against the force of said resilient means.

6. In combination, a support including a compartment open at the front, a door swingably mounted adjacent its lower end on said support at the front of the compart ment and movable between an upright position in which it closes the front of the compartment and an open position in which it is swung down away from the front of the compartment, rigid connecting means attached to said door and projecting rearward therefrom when the ldoor is upright, a first spring connected at its lower end to said support below the lower end of the door and at its upper end to said connecting means to exert a pull on the door tending to position the door upright, and a second spring connected at its lower end to said support below the lower endof the door and rearward of the connection of said rst spring to the support, said second spring being connected at its upper end to said connecting means at a point thereon which is disposed forward of the connection of said first spring thereto when the door is upright, said second spring exerting an additional pull on the door tending to position the door upright.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein each of said springs is connected at its lower end to the support rearward of its attachment to said connecting means, and said second spring exerts less pull on the door than said rst spring.

8. The combination of claim 6, wherein each of said springs is connected at its lower end to the support rearward of its attachment to said connecting means, said second spring exerts its pull on the door at a greater angle with respect to the vertical than the pull exerted on the door by said rst spring throughout the movement of the door between its open and closed positions, and the angular difference between the directions of the respective pulls exerted by said springs becomes greater as the door moves from its open position to its closed position so that the ratio of the downward force exerted on the door by the second spring with respect to the downward force exerted on the door by the first spring becomes smaller as the door moves from its open position to its closed position.

9. In combination, a cooking range having an oven, a support bracket mounted on the front of said range, an oven door pivotally supported adjacent its lower end by said bracket and movable between a closed position in which it extends upright across the front of the oven and an open position in which it is swung down away from the front of the oven, rigid connecting means attached rigidly to the door to move integral therewith and including an arm which extends down and back from the door when the door is upright, said arm presenting a concave lower surface, counterbalancing means connected to said connecting means at the back of the door and exerting a downward force on the door tending to position the door upright, a follower resiliently mounted on said bracket and engaging said concave lower surface on said arm, and said arm presenting a protrusion at said concave surface which is positioned to be engaged by said follower when the door is partly open to restrain the door against being closed..

l0. The combination of claim 9, wherein said follower is a roller supported by a leaf spring which extends up from said bracket.

11. The combination of claim 10, wherein said counterbalancing means comprises a main tension spring connected at its upper end to said arm and extending back and down therefrom and connected at its lower end to the range, an auxiliary tension spring connected at its upper end to said arm at a point thereon disposed forward of the connection of said main spring thereto, said auxiliary spring extending back and down from said arm and connected at its lower end to the range rearward of the connection of said main spring thereto, said auxiliary spring exerting a smaller pull on the door than said main spring and in all positions of the door from its open position to its closed position exerting its pull on the door at a greater angle from the vertical than the pull exerted by said main spring, and the angular difference between the directions of the respective pulls exerted by the main and auxiliary springs becomes greater as the door moves from its open position to its closed position so that the ratio of the downward force exerted on the door by the auxiliary spring with respect to the downward force exerted on the door by the main spring becomes smaller as the door moves from its open position to its closed position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,586,839 Pickup June l, 1926 1,815,848 Klein July 21, 1931 1,868,322 Herrenbruck July 19, 1932 2,129,750 Schneider Sept. 13, 1938 2,313,582 Rees Mar. 9, 1943 2,353,175 Marple July 11, 1944 2,401,977 Smallwood June 1l, 1946 2,447,341 Johnson Aug. 17, 1948 

